In the US, a crayon is a stick of colored wax (and the best known maker is Crayola.) These are mostly used by children in coloring books where they color in the trees green and the sky blue, etc. In French, crayon is a pencil. So I was wondering if crayon is not in this instance a colored pencil. In any case, £20K is MORE than a bit steep for such a book with or without this provenance. I have an inscribed and signed JRRT calendar that you can view on my website. As it is probably one of the last articles that the master ever signed, I think it invaluable and would not ever sell it.

Away from The Green Hill Country,

Parmastahir

Posted on: 2008/11/11 5:53

_________________
Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise can not see all ends.

Well, I took crayon to mean coloured wax, as you do. So the US and UK meaning appear to be the same. In UK a coloured pencil is... well, a coloured pencil. Although you'd call it a colored pencil!

The photo is poor, so you can't tell either way. Although with the seller being from the UK I'd guess he didn't mean pencil, and did indeed intend to mean crayon as you understand it. What was Tolkien playing at?; inconsiderate so-and-so...

BH

Posted on: 2008/11/11 6:20

_________________You drive a hard bargain – you can have it for £10 all-in – one consolation (for you) is that you do not have to hear the cries of my children, for bread...